Village of Deceit
by Trouilefou
Summary: The Teen Titans have to train new recruits...but is one of them deceiving the others?
1. Chapter 1

So, this is an OC story!

The Teen Titans must train new groups of….well, Teen Titans. You can submit as many as you'd like, I have a devious plot that will require all of them…=D

Villains, and superheroes, pesky news reporters, and weatherman, whatever you'd like to send in, please do!

For the villains/heroes:

Name:

Age:

Superpower:

Weaknesses:

Strengths:

Personality:

Will they be prone to romance, or certain friendships in the group?

Anything else you'd like to include:

Again, submit whoever you'd like, and as many as you'd like! Thanks! =D


	2. I'm Looking Through You

_The song lyrics are I'm Looking Through You, by the Beatles._

* * *

><p><strong>I'm looking through you…<strong>

**Where did you go?**

The Valiant Vandal

The can hisses as I stealthily spray paint the Titans Tower.

Just one more letter…almost there…

"Hey!"

I spin around, caught red-handed.

Damn it all to hell, it's the green one!

I take off like a shot, tearing away from the wall and my spray paint masterpiece. The green thing morphs into a dog, and tackles me to the ground.

**I thought I knew you…**

**What did I know?**

Robin

"Yeah! You like that PUNK? Huh? What was that? You want some more?"

Beast Boy's voice echoes down the hall, followed by a series of loud thunks. Like an axe hitting bone. I glance at Starfire. She stares back at me, eyes wide.

"That taste GOOD, you little delinquent? 'Cause I'm betting it doesn't!"

Cyborg! They're both torturing a suspect!

"NO!" Beast Boy shrieks. "Cyborg, stop! Look at all the blood! …You can't do this! You killed it! MURDERER!"

I leap off the couch and tear down the hall, Starfire flying quickly behind me.

"Well, guess what?" Cyborg's voice shouts.

THUNK. "You're gonna like this one…"

THUNK. "A lot better!"

THUNK.

I kick open the door and come crashing into the room, sliding right into a large table.

THUNK.

Cyborg slams an axe into a large piece of meat, slicing it cleanly in half.

They're _eating_ him!

"Robin, _please_!" Beast Boy says in irritation. "We have a _guest_."

I frown in confusion as he points to a short, filthy girl. Her blond hair is tucked behind her ears, and her face is covered in dirt.

_Yeah! You like that PUNK? Huh? What was that? You want some more?_

She's eating tofu. Beast Boy holds a plate of the crap in front of the girl.

_That taste GOOD, you little delinquent? 'Cause I'm betting it doesn't!_

Cyborg hates tofu…which is why he's making meat.

_You killed it!_

…And Beast Boy's a vegetarian.

I groan at the stupidity of it all.

"What's going on?" I snap, irritated.

"This little punk was vandalizing the city, Robin!" Beast Boy declares. "She's been spray painting pictures of us all over the place!"

I shrug. Vandalism isn't the sort of crime I generally care about.

"…And she kept getting my feet wrong! She drew them too big, Robin. People were starting to talk. They thought I had big feet. I can't have people thinking that!"

Of course. I slam the tofu platter to the ground in anger.

"That's why you've been spending your time on, Beast Boy? Scouring the city for a vandal, so they could jot down your correct _shoe size?_"

"Ummm…"

"Beast Boy!"

"No, Robin, it's cool! I showed her my feet. She's gonna fix the drawings! So…mission accomplished. And we came in to celebrate with tofu."

The Valiant Vandal

The guy with the cape starts blabbing on and on. Something about, "supposed to be finding new recruits," and "instead out chasing feet." I yawn and glance at my watch, feeling my eyes close in boredom.

"What about the kid?" machine man asks.

"Hand her over to the cops," cape guy says with a shrug. "She's just a vandal."

"Hey, hey, wait a minute!" I shout.

"We cannot leave her in the hands of the police force," Starfire says. "She is not a criminal."

"Then what do you want us to do with her?" cape guy asks.

"Perhaps she can be of service to us?"

"Hey, she could be our first new recruit!" the green one says.

"What's your superpower?" cape guy asks.

"I…am the VALIANT VANDAL!" I say triumphantly.

"So, you…you attack people with spray paint?" green boy asks.

"No, I…I vandalize things."

"She doesn't have a superpower," cape guy sighs in frustration.

"Then we shall call her…" Starfire begins.

"Zero," Raven says from the doorway.

Beast Boy

Zero, who, for all intents and purposes, is my new sidekick, frowns at her superhero name. But she has no time to object, because I hand her a stack of flyers and order her to go out and do my dirty work for me.

Because that's the sidekick's job.

"Beast Boy, you know you still have to hand out flyers, too, right?" Robin asks.

I frown deeply as he hands me my own stack of flyers.

**You don't look different,**

**But you have changed. **

**I'm looking through you…**

**You're not the same!**

Narrator

Our unlucky hero, Beast Boy, spots a brawl at the end of an alleyway. A young boy with apparent super strength tosses a piano clear over the roof of an apartment building with frightening ease. Beast Boy smiles to himself, having found an easy recruit. Flyer in hand, he proudly takes one step forward.

…Right into the shadow of a falling piano.

**Your lips are moving…**

**I cannot hear. **

Starfire happily floats down the city street, keeping a sharp eye out for unusual activity. She spots it through the window of a grungy apartment.

A girl sits in the center of the room, legs crossed, eyes closed peacefully. As Starfire stares, dark shadows swirl around the girl's body, rising up and devouring the room. A face appears in the shadows, and stares directly at Starfire.

"Hello, _deary_," the voice cackles maniacally.

Starfire gulps, tosses a flyer through the window, and scrams.

**Your voice is soothing, **

**But the words aren't clear. **

"Hey, buddy!" Zero calls to a tall boy. "You some kinda superhero, or sumthin'?"

"Hey, buddy!" the boy calls back. "You some kinda superhero, or sumthin'?"

"…I asked you first."

"I asked you first."

Two seconds later, Zero is on top of the boy, yanking viciously at his hair.

The boy mimics each movement perfectly until Zero stumbles away, thoroughly freaked. She stares at the boy, tilting her head to the left. He follows with his own head, a sickly smirk appearing on his face.

She throws the flier at his feet and backs away slowly.

**You don't sound different, **

**I've learned the game. **

Cyborg pauses in the entryway of a museum, watching a girl carry a box of dolls through the door. Pins stick out of the dolls in various…uncomfortable looking places.

Cyborg stuffs a flyer into the box and ducks behind a desk until the girl leaves.

"Freakin' voodoo witch!" he hisses.

**I'm looking through you…**

**You're not the same!**

Across the city, teenagers escape the cruelty of their abusive parents, hiding flyers in their backpacks and running away.

Siblings separate, both bound for different paths.

One tired looking boy scales the orphanage fence, a flyer stuffed in his sock.

A young girl crawls out of an abandoned basement, clutching a flyer in her grimy, bleeding hand.

These teenagers wind through countless streets to find the Tower. They gather here.

They are the new Titans.

**Why, tell me why, did you not treat me right?**

**Love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight. **

They are guided by Zero to the basement. They stand, nervously waiting, as, one by one, they are taken through the gym doors and evaluated.

Raven

Utterly ludicrous.

That's what this is.

All of these people who look so ordinary, so mundane and ignorant, transform as they walk through the doors. They become someone else. Someone braver, someone stronger.

They change.

I hate change.

Robin

Zero shoves them through the door one at a time. She shoots them threatening looks as they show us their powers. She acts as a bouncer, ridding us of the sidekick material, and leaving only the heroes.

We were expecting a lot more. We wanted hundreds to come trampling through the doors, begging for a position on the team. We wanted five teams of five. We thought we'd get to pick and choose.

We end up with three teams of five. And Zero.

So, really just a gang of misfits.

I hand the final sheet to Beast Boy, who eagerly yanks the teams together.

"I present to you…team COURAGE!" he shouts.

Hurricane, 16, female. Power of weather manipulation.

Xixi, 11, female, powers of super speed and ESP.

Astoria, 18, female, power of pyrokinesis.

Poltergeist, 16, male, half-dead. During his evaluation, he walked through walls, projected freaky phantasmal claws from his hands, performed telekinesis, and communicated with the dead.

Melvin, 15, male, magician. He's a creepy little guy who pulls rabbits out of his head, and other mumbo jumbo like that.

"Team LOYALTY!" Beast Boy screams, throwing his arms in the air as another five walk in.

Will, 14, male, bearer of the power of suggestion.

Verita, 13, female, power of observance.

Alias, 17, male, a copycat.

Mystic, 13, female, powers of teleportation and levitation.

Arabian Shadow, 16, female, has the ability to summon her ancestors, and use shadows as weapons, as well as flying and invisibility.

"And finally…team HOPE!"

Demetrias, 15, female, controls plants and talks to animals.

Seaboy, 16, male, controls water, has the ability to heal using water, and breath underwater.

Nikki, 14, female, the power of luck.

Shadow, 13, female, Necromancer.

Puff, 17, female, powers of sublimation and pheromone manipulation.

Raven stares blankly for several moments. Then she erupts.

She points to team Courage.

"Team Misfit," she dubs them.

Team Loyalty is next.

"Team Loser."

And finally team Hope.

"Team Powderpuff."

She points at Zero.

"Team Idiot."

**I'm looking through you, where did you go?**

**I thought I knew you…what did I know?**

**You don't look different, but you have changed. **

**I'm looking through you…you're not the same.**

* * *

><p>So, that was the beginning. If it seems strange, the rest of the story won't be like this, it was just hard to introduce the sixteen characters. But next chapter will get into their personalities and the villains will enter.<p>

It's told from different POV's, and I think that's how I'll do all of the chapters.

**How often your character appears in the story depends ENTIRELY on how often you review. The best reviews I get dictate who stars in the next chapter. **

I'm going to put questions at the bottom of each chapter, for different creators. For example, I'd say your character's name, and give three or so options…does she follow them to the fight, hide out in the Tower, or try to take down the other villain on her own? Stuff like that. I'll also do those questions for relationships.

The song lyrics were from I'm Looking Through You, by the Beatles, and I used those because I figure that's how you'd feel around someone with superpowers…I thought I knew you, what did I know? You don't look different, but you have changed…you're not the same.

I'll probably do song chapters a lot…if you have a specific song you think fits your character, please tell me! I'd love to weave it into a chapter about your character.

One more thing…I started drawing some of the characters, and I only finished one, because they took longer than I expected. I drew Arabian Shadow, and you can see the picture on Photobucket. If you search my username, Esse55, you'll be able to see the pictures. **If you'd like to see your character drawn by me, I'd love to draw them, if you just say so in a review or pm.** I won't draw them unless you ask, because I'll more than likely chance a little about their appearance, and I'm not sure if you're okay with that. But if you'd like me to draw your character, so that everyone reading the story can get a better idea of everyone's costumes, that would be awesome. Just pm or review.

And thank you everyone SO MUCH for the awesome characters! I really love them! They're AMAZING! It's gonna be really fun to write about the conflicting personalities and powers. Thanks again! And remember, the best reviews I get dictate who stars in the next chapter. And by best I don't mean nicest, or complimentary. I mean honest, and detailed. What you liked/didn't like, and why, etc. The characters featured the most in the next chapter will depend entirely on reviews.

Thanks again! =D


	3. Coming 'Round the Mountain

He danced along the shadows as the moon rose. The jester, a mere silhouette, leapt from rooftop to rooftop, the bells on his hat tinkling in the twilight.

"You're late, Simkin, you _naughty_ boy," he spoke aloud to himself. "Mommy's not going to like that one bit. No she _won't_."

His giggles sprinkled across the roof as he unceremoniously plopped himself down on his usual ledge, overlooking the city from the tallest building he could find.

"Criss-cross applesauce, yes indeed," he murmured, crossing his legs in a meditative position and lovingly laying his staff across his lap.

"You're late," the tall woman hissed.

Simkin raised his head to look at her, but found only darkness.

"Sorry, _mommy_," he said dryly. "Got held up at the grocery store. Some crazy budged me in the checkout line. Things got a little…_explosive_."

He cackled at the thrilling memory of the shrieks, the pleading, the demolition…Simkin shook his head like a dog, willing the thoughts away. No time to relive the excitement; tonight was not a night for happiness.

"I brought what you asked for," the woman said with her sweet, Southern drawl.

She kicked a box out of the darkness, and Simkin spied TNT.

His eyes glittered.

Fingers twitching in uncontainable excitement, he shoved the cash at the woman and wrapped his arms around his sweet, beautiful love.

Explosives.

The woman, shrouded in darkness, slipped away like a cat, leaving Simkin alone to caress his baby.

"Hush, hush, now, darlings," he murmured to the explosives, gently stroking their fire red casings. "Daddy loves you…"

* * *

><p>Xixi darted from room to room, commando crawling under beds and inside closets with notebook and pencil handy.<p>

It was the dark, scary room that intrigued her the most.

Candles were positioned in a circle of flames, surrounding a girl who could only be described as goth. Xixi licked her lips in delight and began furiously jotting down juicy notes on her newest subject.

"Hello, friend!" the girl sitting in the room called out cheerily, her back to Xixi.

Xixi startled. The expression, 'eyes in the back of her head,' drifted through her mind.

"Astoria," the girl announced, spinning around and offering her hand, a bright smile on her face.

"Xixi," Xixi responded warily, shaking the older girl's hand.

"May I inquire as to why you're in my room?"

"Discovering dirt," Xixi responded curtly, systematically assessing the room with her eyes.

Finding nothing of interest, aside from the numerous skeletal body parts stored throughout the area, Xixi dropped to her stomach and commando crawled away once more.

"See ya around," she called over her shoulder.

Heading down the hall, she took a sharp left and found herself in a completely nondescript room. A paramilitary outfit hung neatly in the closet. A pair of boots was lined up with military precision next to the bed. And an older boy sat in the desk chair, staring vacantly out the window. The rest of the room looked as though it had never been touched.

Excluding, of course, the young girls crouched in the closet, dressed entirely in black, war paint smeared across their faces.

"KA-KAW!" the youngest one, Mystic, shouted in a strange bird-call-war-cry.

Both girls launched themselves from the closet, fingers spread like claws, screeching like banshees. Xixi threw herself to the floor in surprise, and slight fear. The boy at the desk, however, remained unmoving.

Zero came running into the room, fly swatter in hand, muttering about birds. Xixi snatched her notebook and immediately began cataloging her observations. Alias, the scarily silent boy at the desk, flickered his eyes over her, assessing her.

"Told ya," Mystic whispered to her partner in crime, the Duplicator.

The Duplicator nodded her approval of her partner's initial suspicions, and dropped her claw-like hands to her sides, satisfied with a job well done.

"She said nothing startles you," the Duplicator informed Alias cheerily. "Just checking."

Alias' eyes flickered towards the young girls in curiosity.

"...Awkward," Mystic said slowly.

"Yeah, we're good to go," the Duplicator said uncomfortably, and both girls darted out of the room, giggling.

"You're Alias, right?" Xixi asked, interrupting his train of thought with a pointless question.

Alias tilted his head sideways and narrowed his eyes at her, as if deciding something.

"HE'S CRAZY," Zero loudly whispered to Xixi.

Alias' foot twitched, and Zero flew from the room in fear. After a cursory inspection of Alias' desk, Xixi followed.

* * *

><p>"Alright, listen up, you bunch of sissies!" Cyborg shouted, his voice echoing throughout the gym as he stood facing the new recruits. "We're goin' on a field trip!"<p>

The recruits glanced at each other warily.

"We're targeting our first villain," Robin announced authoritatively. "We want to evaluate how you work as teams, so we've picked one with a lower threat level. We'll be following you, watching you closely. We need a volunteer to lead the way to Aristotle's lair."

A collective silence took over the crowd.

Aristotle was a genius. But he tended to overlook important details. Taking him out, especially in a team, wasn't exactly a daunting task, but still...no one wanted to be the idiot who walked into Aristotle's lair _first_.

Second, maybe. Third? Sign me up. But _first?_ Everyone appeared to agree on one point: only a moron would volunteer for that.

"Ooh! Ooh, me! Pick me!"

Robin was dismayed to hear Zero's voice.

"Does anyone _else_ want to lead the way?" he asked the crowd.

"Pick me! I know the way! ME!"

"Really? No one else knows how to get there? ...Anyone?"

"Oh, _I_ do! I do! Pick me! Pick me!"

Robin sighed.

"Alright...fine. Zero...you lead the way."

The moment the words exited his mouth, he cringed.

This could not end well.

* * *

><p>"So, then <em>I<em> said, 'girl, you must be _trippin'_ if you think I'm gonna eat _those_ berries.' But I ate them anyway."

There were a series of eye rolls, loud sighs, and sarcastic comments issued throughout the crowd as Zero turned what should have been their finest hour into story time. They had begun stealthily traveling through the city an hour ago, but their ability to sneak past unseen was largely ruined by Zero's obnoxious voice.

"And MAN did the house smell bad _that_ day!"

Hopeful looks crossed several faces as there was lull in Zero's story. And then she continued.

It was going to be a long journey.

* * *

><p>"And that's when they made me their chief."<p>

"For the love of lightning, shut your mouth before I shut it for you!" Hurricane shouted.

Everyone spun around in surprise. A storm cloud was forming around Hurricane, and it began to pour. A flash of lightning zapped in front of her, and everyone took a slow step backwards. Arabian Shadow disappeared, using her powers of invisibility to hide her from Hurricane's wrath.

Melvin the Magician stared in awe at Hurricane's storm cloud.

"It is so hot when you do that," he breathed.

A flash of lightning landed dangerously close to Melvin's face, and he yelped. Verita stuffed her fist in her mouth to keep from giggling, and Will kicked her, terrified of being Hurricane's next victims. Will's expression only made Verita laugh harder, and she doubled over in an effort to silence herself.

"I see you're not a people person," Zero said slowly.

A third flash of lightning came stunningly close to Zero's toes.

"Which is surprising! Because, uh...you're so charming, and...likable..."

Hurricane's eyes flashed as Zero stammered in terror. And then, in a split second, the storm cloud disappeared, and Hurricane sighed in annoyance.

"Are we there yet?" she whined.

"Nowhere close," Zero said cheerily, turning down a side street.

"Oh, we'll be comin' 'round the mountain when we cooooome!" she sang loudly, incredibly off-key. "Oh, we'll be comin' 'round the mountain, we'll be comin''round the mountain, we'll be comin' - "

"No singing!" Hurricane snapped.

"Can I whistle?"

"_NO!_"

"...Can I hum?"

"...Fine."

"Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, _hmmm. _Hmm, hmm, hmm, _hmmm_..."

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you to everyone who reviewed! For everyone who sent in new characters, they WILL be in the story! I will introduce them during the fight with Aristotle in the next chapter. Thank you for submitting them!<strong>

**So, this chapter didn't have much action, but the next one will. This chapter was to give you a better feel of some of the characters. More characters will be introduced in the next chapter, and pretty soon all of the characters will get their moment in the spotlight. I'm just trying to do it slowly, and with a few memorable moments for each character, so that it's easier to remember the characters, because there are a lot. I'll post a list soon, probably in the next chapter, of each team, including each character's age, gender, and power, as well as personality, so that you can choose who you'd like your character to befriend...or more than befriend...**

**_IMPORTANT:_** **If you don't mind, could you tell me how your character would react to the characters introduced in this chapter? Would they think that Mystic and the Duplicator are cute, or would they be freaked out and avoid them? Would they be attracted to Hurricane's mood swings, or scared? Would they punch Zero's lights out in annoyance, or find her funny? Would they think Alias was mysterious and interesting, or downright scary? Melvin's obsession with girls makes them want to punch him or laugh? You don't have to answer these questions, you could just give a general idea, like: My character would hate Melvin because...or, my character would want to be friends with Mystic and the Duplicator because... Just whatever you think your character's reaction would be. Thanks, that would be awesome! It helps me figure out who your character will form closer bonds to, or whether your character will flip out at someone, and important stuff like that. **

**I am starting to draw the characters that people requested (it's a ton of fun), and I will post who is finished and on photobucket as soon as the first character is done. **

**Please review! I focused mainly on the characters whose creators reviewed the last chapter. The next chapter will feature Will, Verita, Shadow, and Arabian Shadow, because their creators reviewed the last chapter. I'm sorry they weren't in this chapter, but I have a plan for all of them that I thought fit into the next chapter better. :)**

**Thanks! =D  
><strong>


	4. The Sandwich of Defeat

Aristotle saw them coming from miles away.

Well, not miles, but a few streets.

They were loud, obtrusive, and led by a short, annoying looking girl who was humming her own spy music.

Aristotle, being the genius that he was, immediately set up his elaborate trap, strategically placed at the door.

* * *

><p>"I say we sneak around back," Arabian Shadow suggested.<p>

There was a chorus of agreement.

"Why would we do _that_…when he has a front door?" Zero asked. "It's like a shortcut."

With that, she bounded up the steps, amid urgent warnings from the superheroes, and knocked on the door.

Quick footsteps descended what sounded like a large staircase, and a large eye appeared in the peephole. The footsteps then ascended the staircase.

"ENTER," someone shouted dramatically.

"Don't do it!"

"This is your stupidest idea yet!"

"Are you an _idiot?_"

Despite the many warnings, Zero threw the door open and happily skipped in.

Nothing happened.

"BLAST!" the voice screeched.

Aristotle, in all his glory, had forgotten to flick the switch and turn the trap from 'off' to 'on.'

Zero, startled, glanced around the gloomy mansion.

"Kinda dark in here," she muttered.

Aha! A light switch!

"Hey, I wonder what this does!" Zero said, flicking the switch to 'on.'

In a split-second, Zero was propelled to the ceiling.

"AHHH!" she screamed.

The group glanced up to see her dangling from the cathedral ceiling, a rope around her ankle.

"I think we're a lot better of this way…" Arabian Shadow murmured.

"I vote we leave her here," Verita whispered.

"Good call."

The group proceeded quietly forward, Zero screaming and wailing from the ceiling all the while.

Melvin, dressed in a magician's suit, pulled off his top hat and whipped out his black, white-tipped wand. He tapped the hat with the wand, and proceeded to pull a rabbit out. Gently placing the rabbit on the floor, he stepped back.

"Go, Monty," he whispered.

Monty the rabbit twitched his nose, and leapt forward. He hopped up the steps, his puffy white tail disappearing at the top.

Melvin followed in pursuit of his rabbit, while the others watched quizzically.

"Hello, hello, _hello_," a deep voice boomed from the top of the stairs.

Suddenly, the lights flickered on. Aristotle stood at the banister above the steps, staring down at the children.

"Welcome," he said menacingly.

Then he cackled as his many robotic inventions rolled into the room.

The group backed into a huddle. Arabian Shadow lifted her hands, and a single shadow shot out like a hand, grabbing the closest robot and dragging him away.

In what looked like a heat wave, Puff transformed into a pink mist. The misty figure stepped toward a robot, and leapt into the electrical circuit. Sparks flew, and the robot shorted out.

Nikki simply stepped forward, and the robot seemed to run out of batteries. Nikki beamed triumphantly, her powers of good luck winning again.

Astoria set a circle ablaze, trapping three robots inside. She watched, warming her hands in the fire, as the robots slowly melted.

Seaboy and Demetrias focused on Zero, still hanging from the ceiling. There was no water for Seaboy to manipulate, and no plants or animals for Demetrias to control and speak to.

"Zero!" Seaboy shouted above the noise of dying robots.

"I can't feel my legs!" Zero whined.

"Give us a minute!"

"Everybody STOP1" Zero suddenly screamed.

A hesitant pause overtook the crowd.

"…Is anyone hungry? Because I brought snacks."

There was a collective moan of annoyance as everyone resumed the robot-killing spree. Zero manipulated herself around to unzip her backpack, and began chucking energy bars at the heroes on the ground, shouting the flavors as she did so.

"CHERRY! LEMON! CHOCOLATE CHIP! RAISIN!"

Seeing as Zero seemed to believe what she was doing was of the utmost importance, Seaboy and Demetrias shrugged at each other and left her dangling.

Until she began throwing energy drinks.

"COMBAT DEHYDRATION! RESTORE YOUR ELECTROIDS! EVEN SUPERHEROES HAVE GOTTA REPLENISH THEIR BODILY FLUIDS!"

Demetrias and Seaboy desperately tried to catch the falling bottles before they hit a fighting superhero on the head, which would most likely lead to Zero's murder.

"Zero!" Arabian Shadow shouted. "Did you bring my sword?"

Zero dug in her bag. No sword. How could she have forgotten that? A flashback played out in front of her eyes.

_She was in the kitchen, packing her backpack. _

_Energy drinks. Check. _

_Energy bars. Check. _

_Sandwiches. Check. _

_Arabian Shadow's sword. Check. _

_Her collection of travel board games, in case they got bored on the trip. Check. _

_She stuffed the games in the bag, but found that it wouldn't shut. What would she get rid of? _

_Board games. Sword. _

_Board games…Sword. _

_Which was more important, she asked herself?_

"Stupid, stupid, _stupid_!" Zero hissed, hitting her head with her hand as the travel board games tumbled out of her bag and clattered to the floor.

That's when the peanut butter sandwiches fell out. One landed smack on Hurricane's face as she was fighting a robot.

Hurricane paused. Zero held her breath in preparation of the disaster.

And it came.

"I'M ALLERGIC!" Hurricane screeched.

Zero covered her head protectively as a tornado brewed around her. The winds swept small objects up, and she was momentarily engulfed in a flurry of flying energy bars and travel board games. Then the winds picked up speed, and people began flying.

Superheros and robots alike were lifted from the ground, and swept in a continuous, dizzying circle around the room. The tornado hurtled everyone precariously in the large area. People and robots smashed into each other, sparks flew in the air, and objects smashed into humans. It was a disaster, and at the center of it all was Hurricane, fuming on the ground.

And, just as quickly as it began, it stopped, dropping people and robots haphazardly to the ground.

Hurricane seemed to be having another mood swing, as she flew into a sobbing fit, and ran from the room.

Robots lay dismantled across the room, creating what looked like a futuristic battlefield. The teenagers grumpily and angrily lifted themselves from the ground, brushing the debris from their hair, straightening their clothes, and holding their heads in futile attempts to control the violent headaches brought on by being thrown about in the dizzying tornado.

Aristotle had disappeared sometime during the tornado, and all that remained were tired heroes and dismembered robots.

"Sounds like someone peed in her energy drink, eh?" Zero said with a nervous chuckle.

She was greeted with several obscene comments, and an excellent view of a particular finger on Arabian Shadow's hand. The group slowly disbanded, leaving the house through doors, windows, or broken walls, and Zero sighed quietly.

She hadn't meant to ruin the fight. She was just trying to help. It was pathetic, and somewhat pitiful to see her stare down at her broken board games and uneaten sandwiches, which she had spent so long preparing.

All she had wanted was to be liked. She just didn't know how.

It came so easily to other people. So what was wrong with her?

She sniffled as she realized that she'd never had a single friend in her entire life.

Being the only one without any powers at all, she tried to be helpful in other ways. The sandwiches, the board games, the energy drinks.

She hadn't meant to ruin the fight.

She was just trying to help.

"You're such an _idiot_, Zero," she whispered to herself. "You can't do _anything_ right."

Still dangling from the ceiling, she watched Melvin's white rabbit hop down the steps. She sniffled, wiped her face, and wondered if anyone would come back for her.

"Monty!" Melvin called, running across the room. Monty hopped into Melvin's outstretched arms, and Melvin cradled the rabbit to his chest.

That's when he noticed Zero dangling from the ceiling. He stared at her curiously. She was annoying, short, the absolute least pretty girl in the entire group, and a total idiot.

But she was still a girl, so Melvin still wanted to make out with her.

As he contemplated what pickup line would work best in this situation, Mystic and the Duplicator came crawling through a window. Shadow, the necromancer, skipped happily into the room, holding the dagger she used when preparing to summon the dead. Mystic raised her hands, and levitated Shadow to the ceiling. Shadow gripped the rope in her hands, and cut through its many layers.

"Hey, Zero," she said cheerfully.

"Hey," Zero mumbled grumpily.

As the rope came undone, Zero plummeted to the ground. She was heading straight for Melvin, so, naturally, he took a single step to the left. Mystic glared at Melvin as she levitated Zero safely to the ground.

The five teens stood quietly in the rubble and debris, contemplating each other. Zero stared at each of the four supers and understood that they were the only ones who'd come back for her. The other four stared at Zero and understood that she was the weakest link. But they also knew that sometimes the underdog can be the most loyal friend you could find.

Mystic silently reached out her hands. The five teens formed a tight circle, connected by their held hands, and Mystic teleported them back to the Titan Tower.

Melvin, of course, was thrilled to be holding the hands of not one girl…but _two_.

Could his luck get any better?

* * *

><p>"So, let me get this straight…" Robin spoke to the six teens in front of him, the only ones who had made it back to the tower. "Zero, who was dangling from the ceiling, threw a sandwich at Hurricane…and Hurricane created a tornado…destroying the robots…and then she ran out crying…everyone else left…you have no idea where anyone else went…and Zero is still dangling from the ceiling?"<p>

"That's about right, yeah," Xixi reported, glancing at her notes.

Robin massaged his temples, begging his sudden headache to disappear as easily as his trainees had.

"We should probably go find them…" Nikki murmured.

She glanced around her. Xixi, Poltergeist, Astoria, Puff, Arabian Shadow, and herself. The only ones who made it back.

With a loud clap, however, five more figures appeared in front of her. Zero, Melvin, Mystic, Duplicator, and Shadow.

"You can let go of my hand now, Melvin," Shadow said happily.

Melvin ignored her.

"…Melvin."

Still no movement on his part.

"Melvin?"

Nothing.

"Melvin!"

Melvin's eyes snapped to attention, staring her directly in the face, and it became blatantly clear what region of Shadow's body he had been so transfixed with moments ago.

"You say something, sexy?" he asked innocently.

Everyone rolled their eyes and disbanded, off to look for their missing teammates.

* * *

><p>"I think we should leave," Will whispered.<p>

"We're fine!" Verita said happily. She was staring intently at the photos hanging on Aristotle's wall.

She stared, and she _saw_.

She saw a young boy, with a smile that seemed somewhat forced, standing next to his father. She honed her eyes in on his arms, and saw a barely noticeable bruise, which made her think of a hand. She noticed the way the young boy leaned slightly, almost imperceptibly, to the left. Away from his father. And she noticed the possessive grip the father had on the boy's right shoulder.

The right shoulder sagged ever so slightly downward, as if to pull itself away from something that was causing it pain.

Like a tightly clenched hand, perhaps.

"Hmm," Verita murmured.

"Can we go now?" Will asked, glancing around nervously.

"Sure."

"Go where, kiddies?" a voice asked from behind them.

Will spun around and stared at Aristotle. He gulped.

"We, um…" Will stammered.

"You weren't very close to your father, were you?" Verita asked Aristotle politely.

Something flashed in Aristotle's eyes.

"My father was a... solitary man. Now, do you have any last words before I obliterate you from the face of the earth?"

"I don't think your father would be proud of that," Verita said wistfully.

Aristotle pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"And what would you know about my father?"

"I know that he had trouble communicating with you. You were too gentle, isn't that what he said? He wanted you to be a fighter. He thought you were weak. Called you a girl."

Aristotle yanked Verita off her feet and pressed her against the wall.

"Shut up!" he shouted, spraying her face with a light coating of saliva.

"He was wrong. He wanted you to know that."

"...What are you talking about?"

"He was wrong to beat you. He was wrong to ask you to be stronger. He knows that now."

"Can you talk to ghosts?"

Verita regarded him with a curious glance, and tilted her head slightly to the left.

"I knew your father. He wanted me to let you know something."

"What? What is it?"

Aristotle clung to her shoulders as if he was swimming in a sea of lies and she was the pool noodle that could guide him to the truth.

"He's proud of you, Aristotle. He wanted you to know that. The weak part of you? It's not weakness. You're just gentle. He sees that now. And he wants you to forgive him."

"...Why?"

"Because he loves you."

Will felt Aristotle's mind turning. It was like a wave, and Will knew he had mere moments to open the floodgates before the tide went back out.

_Put the girl down. __You want to put the girl down, and let them go. _

_For your father. _

Will's intent gaze on Aristotle's head went unnoticed as the villain received the message.

He dropped Verita to the carpet.

"Get out," he murmured absently, approaching a door down the hall in a zombie-like trance.

They did as he ordered, Verita snickering all the way.

* * *

><p>Arabian Shadow scoured the city for her lost teammates.<p>

Quite frankly, they weren't hard to find.

"Alias, what are you doing?" she asked the strange boy with an exasperated sigh.

"Shush," he said calmly.

He stood in front of a store window. On the other side, a very large man holding a cheeseburger stood transfixed. Every time he made a move, Alias copied it. Perfectly.

The fat man opened his mouth in surprise and horror, allowing a large chunk of chewed burger to fall from his tongue to the carpeting. Arabian Shadow rolled her eyes in disgust and dragged Alias away.

"_This_ is what you've been doing?" she asked in annoyance.

"That fat man gave me a look," he said simply.

Then he turned away. Conversation over.

Arabian Shadow watched the strange boy uneasily as they approached the Tower. They paused at the door, where a notice hung against the tamperproof metal.

"New Teams," it declared.

_Hurrican, Xixi, Astoria, Poltergeist, Melvin._

_Blade, Kinetic, Space Witch, Snapdragon. _

_Demetrias, Seaboy, Nikki, Arabian Shadow, Puff. _

_Tallon, Paramore, Tracey, Misty, Duplicator. _

_Will, Verita, Alias, Shadow. _

At the end of the last list of names, someone had hastily added "Zero" in red ink.

Probably Zero.

When Arabian Shadow and Alias opened the door, however, they discovered this was not so.

"So, you decided to just _toss_ my name in there as an _afterthought_? On the _LOSER _team? With all the _LOSERS?_"

"No, Zero, that's not what we did!" Robin tried to explain.

"Unforgivable."

"Zero, we - "

"UNFORGIVABLE!"

With that, she stormed off down the hall.

Arabian Shadow, after issuing her third eye roll of the hour, vanished to her own room.

Alias studied the new names on the list, and hoped that, for the love of peace, these teams were good.

Because the old teams certainly weren't.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you so much for reviewing! I've gotten way more reviews that I expected. Please keep doing so! I love hearing what you thought. <strong>

**I'm also curious as to how your characters would react to losing the battle... don't worry, though, I'm not planning to write such a horrible failure that often. I just thought they'd have a terrible time working together as a team at first, and it would take a ton of bonding and training to get past that. So, that's what the next few chapters will be, most likely. Thanks for reading! =D**


	5. A Visit From Santa

**Robin**

For the record, I want it to be known that I was completely and utterly against the idea of new recruits.

It was unavoidable – a notion cooked up by some higher power, a political figure trying to please a queasy public before the next election – though you should trust me when I say that I would lay my body on train tracks if that would prevent it.

I'm telling you this because, in light of the recruits' disastrous failure, we've been forced to implement a rigorous training program. Which officially makes today the worst day of my life.

"Each team is getting a captain," I declare, pacing down the line of pathetic children. "For Will, Verita, Shadow, and Zero, I'm making Alias your captain."

"Poltergeist will captain Melvin, Astoria, Hurricane, and Xixi," Raven says.

"Puff is in charge of Seaboy, Nikki, Demetrias, and Arabian Shadow," Cyborg continues.

"Blade, Snapdragon, Space Witch, and Stareon, Kinetic is to be the one who you call 'captain,'" Starfire says loudly.

"And Tracey is captain of Paramore, Tallon, Mystic, and Duplicator," Beast Boy finishes.

My head swims in pain, and I run a hand through my hair to center myself.

"First task," I shout. "Each team needs a new name. You have thirty seconds."

There's a flurry of motion as everyone frantically tosses their opinion in.

"I want our team name to be Jaws!" Zero shouts.

"Let's be team Jacob!" Space Witch giggles.

"Shark Bait!"

"Leopard!"

"Edward!"

A small fist fight erupts between Puff and Stareon, and by the time Verita manages to break it up, thirty seconds has passed. I point to Alias.

"Jaws," he mumbles reluctantly.

"Aerial Assassins," Kinetic announces for his team.

"Phantom Fighters," Poltergeist sighs.

"Caped Crusaders," Tracey says quietly.

"The Banditos," Puff rolls her eyes.

"Fantastic," I say dryly, leading everyone to the first test. "Now listen carefully, 'cause this is important. Each and every one of you _reeks_ of failure. You're all worthless. And that's why we're going to determine which team gets to stay."

"…What do you mean?" someone asks.

"I mean all of you losers are going home. Whichever team embarrasses themselves the least can stay. And the rest of you won't be my problem anymore."

There are curious looks exchanged between the recruits, and I sense the first hum of competition.

"Given the grand scale on which you idiots managed to mess everything up in your first fight, we decided to start simple. All you have to do is use this spoon to carry this egg to the other side of this minefield. Blindfolded."

"You drop the egg, you blow up!" Beast Boy shouts excitedly. "You step on a mine? KABOOM! You take too long? Good luck reconnecting your body parts!"

This is what I get for letting Beast Boy help with the planning.

"Each team will have one egg," I continue. "And the blindfolded people carrying those eggs will be…Melvin, Stareon, Arabian Shadow, Zero, and Tracey."

The room erupts in groans as everyone glares at the one person they suspect will drop the egg. Beast Boy, dropping four eggs in the process, hands out the supplies and gives the order to begin.

I quickly realize that this particular team building experiment was a little too advanced for this group.

"Stareon, like…move your left foot," Space Witch giggles while twirling her hair. "Oh, whoops! I meant your _other_ left foot!"

Stareon growls as she moves her right foot tentatively forward.

"Yeah, now step forward," Space Witch continues.

Stareon steps directly on the mine.

A loud buzzer sounds in the training field, and Stareon stumbles forward, dropping the egg.

"Like, _gross_!" Space Witch shrieks as the yolk splatters across her designer shoes. "I thought you were _supposed _to step on the line!"

"Not _line_, you idiot!_ Mine!"_ Snapdragon shouts angrily.

"Faster!" Puff shouts into Arabian Shadow's face. "You're the slowest one in the room! And quit pausing every step, stupid! You're bringing the whole team down!"

"Stop yelling at me," Arabian Shadow says.

"I'm not yelling, I'm telling you to stop _losing_!"

"Quit it!"

"Stop wasting time and start _winning_ for once, you loser!"

Arabian Shadow yanks off the blindfold and deliberately turns the spoon over, letting the egg fall to the ground.

"Tracey, this way!" Mystic says encouragingly.

"Almost there!" Duplicator says. She gets so excited, in fact, that she multiplies herself one, two, twelve times.

Each replication runs around like a chicken without a head, knocking into Tracey from all sides. The egg lands in Tallon's hair.

"Melvin, you're going the wrong way," Poltergeist points out in a bored voice.

"Over here, Melvin," Astoria guides, pulling Melvin by the hand.

Hurricane jumps forward to block Melvin's way as he steps precariously close to a mine. Melvin bumps into Hurricane, and his hands craftily reach forward, directly toward her chest. A slap across his face stops him cold.

"Pervert!" Hurricane hisses.

"I was reaching for your _shoulders_!" he whines, rubbing his cheek.

"Sure you were, you little creep."

"I can't help it, I can't _see!"_

He throws his hands up in surrender, absent-mindedly dropping the spoon in the process.

"I thought there was another team?" I ask Cyborg as I search the crowd for the fifth egg.

He sighs and points to Zero, whose hunched over in the corner, attempting to hide the fact that she's slurping the yolk out of the egg.

"_Nasty!"_ Verita giggles.

"I think we should just quit now," I groan. "They're hopeless."

"We must not give up hope on them," Starfire declares. "I know that we can teach them to work together well if we give them more time!"

"It's pointless," I murmur as Cyborg directs the teams to the next challenge.

"This is where you learn about your teammates," Raven drones in a bored monotone. "You have to fight each other, one on one. That way you'll discover each others strengths and weaknesses, and you'll fight be able to fight enemies together more effectively. Or at least, that's the idea. But I'm sure you're getting ready to astound us with your stunning incompetency."

Each team has their own platform. Two members of each team ascend the steps and stand facing each other. As soon as someone falls off the platform, the next teammate steps up.

It drags on for hours.

I have trouble watching all five platforms at once, but there are some events that stand out. Like when Arabian Shadow turns herself invisible and suddenly reappears directly behind Puff, shoving her off the platform. And when Puff's hand catches on the edge, and she raises herself up again, angrier than ever. Or when Arabian Shadow's flies into the wall on the other side of the training room.

Melvin plants himself in a perfect position to shove Astoria off the edge, but becomes distracted by her rear end. He's tilting his head, smiling and admiring each angle, when he suddenly realizes that his hair is on fire.

Seaboy raises a large amount of water from the water cooler, only to have most of it evaporate, quite luckily, before it reaches the platform. Nikki, as lucky as ever, merely receives a refreshing sprinkle of drops.

Alias stares Will down, waiting for the boy to initiate some move which he can copy, however Will does nothing. Nothing but talk.

"Jumping off this platform sure would save you a lot of work," Will says, tilting his head to the side. "Wouldn't it be more fun to watch others make a fool of themselves, instead of becoming a laughingstock yourself?"

His voice is so smooth, so soothing. And before he can say another word, Alias finds himself on the ground, having mysteriously jumped from the platform without quite knowing why, other than the simple reason that Will told him to.

Shadow climbs the steps next, and startles Will by inviting a ghostly figure into their fight. Will stumbles backward in surprise, and falls off the platform.

Zero hops up the steps like a champion, dramatically pumping her fists in the air. Shadow smiles and touches her palm to the ground, watching happily as a murky spirit rises from the platform. What surprises her is the hissing sound as something painful soaks her eyes.

"Augh!" she screams, covering her burning eyes with her palms.

Zero stands triumphantly, a can of spray paint in her hand.

I have to admit that I'd been expecting more elaborate, intense fights, filled with action and suspense, tension and competition.

I really need to lower my expectations.

"That's enough for today," I declare, entirely worn out. "You can all go back to your rooms."

They swarm out, muttering and whining, disappearing down the hall. And the only thing I can manage to think is that tomorrow is going to be worse.

**Narrator**

A young man stalks the shadows along the Tower, the one he's been told houses superheroes. The large sack over his shoulder gives him a peculiar look, and he revels in his strangeness.

"Jack and Jill went up the hill," Simkin sings slowly, eerily, as he climbs the Tower. "To fetch a pail of _water_."

"What are you doing here?" Xixi snaps at him.

He's climbing stealthily through her window, and she stares at him accusingly.

"I don't recognize you," she continues. "And the fact that you're climbing through the window can only mean one thing."

Simkin puts a finger to his lips and smiles sickly at this little girl.

"I'm Santa," he hisses, showing her the large burlap sack on his back. "And rude little girls like you don't put me in a very giving mood."

Xixi stares suspiciously at this character before alighting in a bright smile.

"I'll go back to sleep," she whispers conspiratorially.

"Santa doesn't like naughty little girls," Simkin cackles, tiptoeing out of the room, dropping a small bomb under the bed as he does so.

On the way to the next room, he bumps into a strange beast.

"Hey, I'm next in line for the bathroom, pal," Zero snaps.

"The goblin is _talking_ to me," Simkin whispers to himself in astonishment and disgust.

"Hey, wait a minute…I've never seen you around here before," the girl continues suspiciously. "…You aren't one of the bad guys, are you?"

"Would that scare you?" Simkin whispered menacingly.

"You wouldn't happen to have any positions available, would you? Maybe you need a new evil sidekick?"

Simkin slammed her against the wall.

"Or maybe just an internship…" Zero mumbled.

"You're a very strange hero, sister. In fact, if I didn't know better, I might even assume that you're not a hero at all."

"I'm a hero!"

"Oh, yeah? And what do you bring to the table?"

"…Important stuff. Not that you would know. Oh, whoops, you dropped something."

Zero picked a stray bomb from the floor and handed it to Simkin.

"Is that one of those crazy eight balls? Hey, can you tell my future?"

"I can certainly tell your future," Simkin coos. "You're going to die."

He shoves the bomb into her mouth.

And suddenly, the lights are on.

"What do you think you're doing, you clown?"

That wretched Robin and his posse stare Simkin down, fifteen or so kids behind them.

"Santa Claus?" Xixi smirks, hands on her hips. "Nice try."

"He's making me eat his magic eight ball!" Zero whines, tossing the bomb on the floor.

"NO!" Simkin cries, kicking the bomb away.

Robin lets it roll directly under his foot, stopping it in its path. He lifts it up and tosses it in his hand.

"What are you _doing_?" Simkin shrieks.

"I'm reading your fortune, Simkin."

In seconds, Simkin is falling out the window, his bag of bombs following him all the way down.

"Well, I'm glad you took care of that creep," Zero says, brushing herself off. "You know, he tried to offer me a position as his sidekick, but I told him I'm too valuable here. It'd kill the team if I left, you know? Although, if he sweetened the deal a bit, I don't know if I would have stayed…Maybe you ought to promote me to, I don't know, leader of the Tower?"

"Are you trying to say that you're disloyal?" Raven asks.

"No, of course not! In fact, loyalty is my greatest strength. Although…if there were someplace that rewarded loyalty better than this place…then I would go wherever they value loyalty the most. You know?"

"To tell you the truth, Zero, I'm not quite sure what you bring to the table."

"_Why_ does everyone keep _saying_ that! I bring _lots_ of stuff to the table!"

"Like what?"

"…I don't need to prove myself to you! I can just go on over to work for that guy you just threw out the window! He seemed to think I was a valuable member of this team."

"Maybe you should," Puff threw in.

"Well, maybe I _will_! Show all of you," Zero mumbled, stalking off to her room.

"Who was that?" Xixi asked curiously, watching out the window as the strange man crawled across the pavement.

"Simkin the Fool," Raven said.

"He wasn't very smart."

"He'll be back. He's much smarter than he looks. This was just a recon mission."

"He's just getting started," Robin said gravely.

* * *

><p><strong>So it's been forever since I updated this story...things got super busy, I actually just got back from vacation yesterday at 4 in the morning. I stayed up late writing this because I still have jet lag, and even though I stayed up until 3 this morning, I still wasn't tired enough to sleep...This next week is kind of busy for me, but on the 22nd I'm having foot surgery, and I won't be able to move around for two weeks, so I'll basically be lying around until school starts. So I'm figuring I'll be posting a ton of chapters then. <strong>

**I'm really sorry that this took me so long to write. I'm still disoriented and kind of out of it from the long plane rides, so I apologize if this chapter stunk. The next chapter I think I'm going to pull the entire Teen Titans away from the Tower, and leave the recruits to fend for themselves. And then I'm going to start focusing on each individual team, and their villains. Instead of all five teams at a time. **

**So the next chapter should be up soon! I was trying to showcase everyone's personalities in this chapter, but I'll definitely add way more interactions from now on, and friendships and romances will start developing. :)**


	6. A Particularly Perilous Party

**Demetrias**

"I know," I coo. "Poor thing. How awful."

Water spills into the planter, under the careful direction of Seaboy.

"Better?" I ask the tulips.

Their cries of gratitude warm my heart. I gently caress the tallest tulip before running down the steps, called by some mysterious sound.

"Where are you going?" Seaboy calls after me, jogging to keep up.

"There's something wrong!" I cry, sliding across the freshly mopped floor and slamming into the back of a couch.

"HEY!" Zero shouts indignantly, mop and bucket in hand. "I just mopped this floor!"

"Sorry, Zorro!"

"_Zero!"_

I shrug apologetically as I race around the couch to find the injured animal. How was I supposed to know her name? In fact, come to think of it, I don't even know what she _does._ Maybe she's the janitor?

"Oh, no!" I cry, falling to my knees.

A parrot lies crumpled on the floor, one wing spread out at an awkward angle.

_Help. Please._

"It's okay, sweetie," I assure him. "I've got it. Don't worry."

Zero's face twists in repulsion.

"Bird flu," she mutters. "That's not good."

I gently lift the tiny, broken body in my hands. He lets out a strangled cry, and I gently place him on the couch.

"Has anyone seen a bird?" Melvin comes darting into the room.

Too distracted to pay attention to anything but the injured bird, I unconsciously ignore Melvin.

"Hey!" he comes around the couch. "What's the big idea? You trying to steal my bird?"

"Your bird broke its wing, magician," Seaboy explains as he watches me carefully. "Demetrias is fixing it."

"Do you have some kinda vetty-narry-an license?" Melvin asks suspiciously.

"She talks to animals," Seaboy answers patiently.

"Hey, Dr. Dolittle," Zero comes around the couch. "You're blocking the TV. Criminal Minds is on."

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Seaboy spinning around to stare at the screen.

"Zero, how long has that been on?" he asks quietly.

"Few hours," she sighs, bored.

"Because that's not Criminal Minds."

**Melvin**

"Zero, you were supposed to _tell_ us if Simkin took over our screens!"

"Okay, in my defense, that Demetrias chick was practically making out with a bird right in front of me, so I was a little preoccupied."

I would have paid to see _that_.

"Everybody _shut it!"_ Puff shouts, entering the room.

She pauses, hands outstretched, staring intently at the man on the screen.

"_So_, Teen Titans…if you decide you _don't _want me to blow up this orphanage after all…come and join me for a little tea party, and maybe we can talk it out," Simkin hisses, licking his lips periodically. He cackles, and the screen goes black. Several seconds later, the video replays itself.

"Oh, it's just an orphanage," Puff sighs with relief. "I was a little worried for a minute there."

The Teen Titans converse in a football huddle, whispering between themselves. I take advantage of this catastrophe by leaning over and staring up Starfire's skirt.

"Get everyone up here," Robin orders, turning away from the huddle.

**Poltergeist **

We're all sitting around the room, staring at the five Teen Titans, waiting to be informed of which team will be kicked out. Not that I particularly care either way. The occupants of this tower are beginning to bore me.

"Simkin's trying to blow up an orphanage," Robin declares, pacing back and forth in front of us. "The five of us are going to stop him. We should be back tonight, but in the mean time, all of you need to stay here."

"_What?"_

"Why can't we come with you?"

"This is insane!"

"We're ready!"

"If _any_ of you leave…then don't bother coming back. Your whole team will be kicked out. Got it?"

There are murmurs of reluctant acceptance as everyone takes this in.

"And one more thing," Robin continues warily. "Don't _touch_ anything."

With that, the Teen Titans are out.

Everyone sits around, blinking and fidgeting, unsure of what to do next.

"Well, I'm leaving," Puff declares.

"No!" Demetrias cries. "If you leave, I can't come back!"

"Tough luck."

"I'm leaving, too," Alias says.

"Then I'm going with you," Shadow offers brightly.

"All of us have to stay here!" Verita says loudly. "Those are our orders. You'd be breaking the rules if you left. So everyone stay put!"

"Goody-two-shoes," Zero mumbles.

"She's not a good-two-shoes," Will defends. "She's doing the right thing."

"Ergo…goody-two-shoes," Melvin snorts.

"Enough!" little Xixi shouts.

She climbs atop the coffee table, and waves her hands around in the air.

"None of us can stop each other from leaving!" she continues. "So now it all comes down to who's brave…and who's not."

The screen comes back to life with a flurry of static.

"Hello, children!" Simkin cries with glee, twirling around in a strange ballerina spin. "You're all alone now! Uncle Simmy-kins has a surprise for you."

He backs away from the camera, and we see that he's standing on top of a large building, overlooking the entire city. Fires, explosions, floods, landslides. Someone's wreaking havoc all around Simkin.

"You see, it's my birthday, and my BFF's are all bringing me some presents. I asked for a mommy, a sister, and _the destruction of all mankind_!" he roars these last words in a terrifying manner, but quickly returns to his usual jovial self. "Maybe Raven can be my mommy, and Starry Face can be my little sis. How about that? But like I said, that's not up to me. My very best buddies in the whole wide world are out there right now, making all my birthday wishes come true. And guess what the best part is?"

We stand mesmerized, holding our breath in the center of all this destruction.

"_You_. All of you children. Your dead bodies are my birthday gift to _me_!"

He cackles maniacally, jumping around and listening with glee as the bells on his jester's hat jingle.

And the screen goes black.

I stare at the others around me, wondering what they'll do. Everyone is silent, nobody moving.

"…I'm going," Nikki says quietly.

"It's a trap," Alias warns in a bored monotone as he picks at his fingernails with a knife.

"My sister's part of this," Nikki continues shamefully. "I know it. I have to stop her."

"My sister, too," Verita adds, hanging her head. Will places a comforting arm on her shoulder.

"Well, I'm staying right here," Melvin says, flopping down on the couch. "No way am I going out there and risking my tail doing something I don't even have to do."

"People need help," Alias says angrily. "They're dying, Melvin. It's your responsibility to help them if you can."

"I _can't_!"

"You're a superhero!" Demetrias shouts.

"I'm not! I…I'm a magician! I do card tricks, I pull rabbits out of my hat. That's it! I can't help them!"

Well, then I'm not so sure I want him on my team…

"Yes, you can," Astoria cheers, throwing her arms around Melvin. "You're brave, clever, and resourceful! I trust you, Melvin."

Melvin is smirking at me over Astoria's shoulder, quite content in the arms of a girl. I roll my eyes and look away. Bunch of pathetic, needy, good-for-nothing…

"I'm putting together some goody bags for my party!" Simkin's voice comes shrieking through the screen once more. "I'm giving this dolly to my buddy the Furry Crusader!"

He dances around the dead body of a young girl, no older than eight. There are gasps, cries, and whimpers all around me. I turn around, catching the eyes of the dead girl.

_Why didn't you help me?_ she whispers.

I stare at the ghost, unable to think of a valid excuse.

**Zero**

They run off in groups, team after team, pair after pair, leaving me alone. I can't fly, or run with super speed, or turn invisible, teleport, or float away. So I walk. Always the zero.

Turning down the hall, I bump into a small, eleven-year-old boy.

"Hey, watch it, pal," I snap half-heartedly.

"Excuse me," he murmurs.

"Aren't you that ghost hunter?" I ask curiously.

Something flashes in his eyes.

"I don't hunt ghosts," he hisses.

I throw my hands up in mock surrender.

"Pardon _me_. Then what exactly is it you do, Casper?"

He stares me down, as if disgusted and bored by my banter.

"I'm sixteen," he murmurs. "The same age as you. And yet I'm three times as useful."

He floats away.

"Hey, wait up!" I call, chasing after him. "You look like you're ten. Are you, like, Benjy Bottom, or something?"

"_Benjamin Button_ aged backwards, you fool. I died."

I cringe, murmuring a mix between 'eww' and 'ohh.' That's kind of gross.

"You died?"

"Half."

_Half_. He's _half_ dead. What a curious predicament.

"Hey, what's your name?" I ask.

"…Poltergeist," he tells me reluctantly, as if he would have preferred to remain anonymous.

"_Poltergeist?_" I roll my tongue around the peculiar name. "Huh. You know, I like you, P-Money. Yeah, you're cool."

He ignores me and continues down the hall, and out into the bright sunshine.

"I think I'm gonna stick with you," I say cheerily, strutting down the pavement after him. "…You don't talk much, do you?"

**Alias**

Shadow, Verita, and Will follow me. No matter how fast I run, they always appear one step ahead of me. Maybe because that stupid Robin made me _team leader. _What a joke.

"There!" Verita whispers, pointing to a large building bursting with flames, screams, and burn victims.

"No kidding," I roll my eyes.

We dart around the side of the building, and face a long row of windows.

"We need the fourth story," Verita says.

"How do _you_ know?" I snap.

"Because there's a chip in the windowsill, like someone leaned a ladder against it. It was my sister."

"Okay, so on the off chance that it _was_ your sister, what the hell are you planning to do once we get up there, anyway?"

"I'm going to stop her," Verita answers simply.

"Well, okay," I say mockingly.

I already stole a copy of Robin's martial arts moves, and now they come in handy. I leap craftily from window to window until I reach the fourth floor, where I attempt to raise the glass.

"It's locked!" I call down to the others. "Someone has to go in and open it!"

"I will," Verita offers. Will pulls her away from the door.

"No, I'll do it," he says stubbornly.

He enters the first floor through the main door, and I fully expect it to be the last I ever see of him.

Unfortunate.

**Will**

It looks like an apartment building. A bank of elevators stands to the left, next to the sign informing patrons to use the stairs in case of fire.

I press the elevator button.

"Hey, what are you doing, kid!" someone shouts at me. "There's a fire, are you insane?"

He reaches out to grab me just as I duck through the open doors of the elevator.

"Don't follow me," I order smoothly. "You really don't want to risk your life for a dumb kid, do you?"

He blinks, and takes a single step back. The doors slide closed.

I push the button for the fourth floor and whistle calmly as the elevator ascends the shaft. Just as the green light above the doors blinks 'three,' the elevator screeches to a halt.

"Aw, come on," I mutter.

Climbing onto the thin safety railing, I shove the roof exit off the elevator. It takes me a moment to struggle through, but I manage it. That's when things get a little tougher.

Grabbing onto the thick ropes that move the elevator, I inch up slowly, straining my thin arms in an attempt to pull myself to the next floor.

**Shadow**

_There's a fire escape in the back. _

I spin around and come face to face with a young woman, her pretty face covered in burns. A ghost.

"Thank you," I say, taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

_My son is on the top floor. He's in the closet. He's…he's too afraid to come out. _

A great sob racks her body, and I pull her into a hug.

"I'll get him," I promise.

_Thank you. _

"The fire escape!" I tell Verita as the young woman vanishes.

We dart around the corner, Verita reluctant to leave the front door where her best friend has just disappeared. Someone dropped the ladder earlier, probably just as the fire started, and I immediately climb it. Verita follows, stumbling the whole way up.

"I have to go to the top floor," I pause at the fourth floor, out of breath. "There's a boy up there. But Alias and Will need your help."

"What about you?"

"I'll be okay," I assure her, opening the fourth floor window.

With a final glance at me, she throws herself through the window and calls out to her sister.

"Cami!" Verita screams.

Unable to wait for the inevitable fight, I dart up the steps once more. I have to get there quickly, before the flames or the collapsing building steal the boy away.

"Hello?" I shout as I climb through the top-floor window. "Hello!"

No answer.

I place my palms on the ash-covered floor, and whisper into the afterlife.

_I see you. _

"I need help!" I tell the ghost, a young girl, no more than ten. "There's a boy here, he's in a closet somewhere."

"My brother," she says quietly.

She raises her tiny hand and points to a closet on the other side of the room. I run and yank it open, finding a pile of blankets and a young boy, no more than four.

"I'm here to help you," I say gently, pulling the boy from the cramped space. "My name is Shadow."

_His teddy bear. Under the bed. _

"No!" the boy cries.

I dart away once more, and come back with the bear.

"Your sister wants you to take him with you," I tell him softly.

"Teddy," he whispers.

I pull the boy into my arms and run to the window. Climbing once more onto the fire escape, I find the steps are much more difficult when you're holding a boy in your arms. He sobs and screams as I slowly bring us closer and closer to the ground.

_Thank you. _

The voice whispers into my ear without revealing itself.

"He's safe now," I whisper back.

**Alias**

"Cami?" Verita screams from somewhere inside. "Cami, you have to stop!"

"Verita!" I shout. "Open the window!"

"Gotcha," Will says, smiling as he lifts the glass.

"_Finally_," I mutter grumpily, climbing through the open space. "Is everyone out?"

"No," he says gravely. "There are people all over the place. Where's Shadow? Come to think of it…where's Zero?"

"Better off without _her_. And I don't know where that goth chick went."

"She's on the top floor, she said there's someone up there," Verita says quickly. "_Cami_!"

"Better make it quick, sissy," a voice taunts. "I've got a present to pick up."

"Cami, what are you _doing_?" Verita cries. "People are dying!"

"That's the general idea," Cami hisses.

I pull two handguns out of my jacket and yank back the hammers.

"Alias, no!" Verita begs.

"You think I'm afraid of your little guns?" Cami cackles.

And right before my eyes, she becomes a wolf.

"What the – " I jump back in surprise, dropping the handgun from my left hand. My right hand grasps to keep hold of the other handgun, accidentally pulling the trigger in the process.

Will shouts in pain, grabbing his bleeding leg.

…Whoops.

"Will!" Verita cries. "Cami, _please_!"

The fire crackles all around us, inching closer and closer, far too quickly for my liking.

"Looks like everyone's favorite twin can't even save herself, let alone her friends," Cami laughs happily. "You're a failure, and now everyone's going to know it."

Tears trickle down Verita's face as she attempts to stop the bleeding in Will's leg. Cami grabs Verita with a single paw and shoves her across the room. Verita slides over the floor and smacks her head against the wall with an audible crack.

"Hey, Balto," I sneer, pulling a knife out of my boot. "Want a Scooby Snack?"

Cami launches her wolf body at me, tearing her claws into my arm, and I jab the knife into her side. She roars in anger and pain, clamping down on my arm and biting into it.

I reach for my handgun and aim for her shoulder. The trigger feels heavy in the care of my finger, and I pull it with all my strength. The wolf goes staggering back, but she won't be stopped. Cami comes charging at me once more, bleeding profusely.

And then she's a little girl again.

"What's going on?" I ask angrily, thoroughly confused.

A daunting figure steps through the window, scaring the crap out of me. Another villain?

But Cami cowers in fear of this newcomer.

"What are you doing to me?" she growls, half angry, half terrified.

He says nothing, but Cami appears to grow weaker with every step he takes toward her. Finally, she collapses to the floor.

"What have you done?" Verita sobs, running to her sister.

"She's fine," the stranger grunts. He turns to Will, who remains on the floor, hissing in pain and holding his bloody leg.

The tall man kneels beside Will, and the bleeding seems to halt. Will lets go of his leg and stares at the stranger in amazement. Apparently the pain is gone. The stranger, on the other hand, seems to feel immense pain in his own leg. But no blood. That's good. Probably…

"Who are you?" Shadow asks suspiciously as she climbs through the open window.

A few minutes too late, might I add.

"Beowulf," the figure grunts, staggering across the room on his strange leg, which pains but does not bleed.

"Friend or foe?" I spit out.

"That depends entirely on your own allegiances."

"…We're with the Teen Titans," Verita tells the half-truth slowly.

"Then I'd appreciate you helping me to the Tower," Beowulf grunts through clenched teeth.

Will looks to me, and I shrug.

"What about my sister?" Verita trembles.

"She'll be fine in a few hours," Beowulf says, as if the answer is obvious. "Just leave her."

"She'll die in the fire!"

"Then take her with you," Beowulf sighs, exasperated. "I really don't care. Just help me out that window."

Will leaves Shadow and I to take the behemoth back to the Tower as he goes to help Verita take our enemy to safety. The very same enemy that nearly bit my arm off.

I'm getting a little sick of this superhero business of catch and release.

**Poltergeist**

"So, where are we going?" the annoying little twerp pesters me.

"_I'm _going downtown. I don't really give a rat's ass what you do."

"Are you trying to say that you don't want my help?"

"That's exactly what I'm trying to say."

"…That sounded a little reluctant. I think I should follow you."

I stoically ignore her for the rest of my journey downtown, although it proves quite a difficult task, what with all the singing, nonstop chatter, and irrelevant questions.

"If you either had to marry a porcupine, or a snake, what would you choose?"

"That looks like something the Furious Crusader would do," I say under my breath.

Zero follows my gaze to the medieval-looking jousting tournament. I roll my eyes at the elaborate setup the villain created. Horses, swords, suits of armor.

Classy.

"Hey, someone beat us to it!" Zero whines.

On the other side of the makeshift arena, Tallon, Paramore, Tracey, Mystic, and Duplicator come stalking over to the Furious Crusader.

"Put the sword down before things get really ugly," Paramore warns the villain.

"You think _you_ can beat the Furious Crusader?" the man in armor laughs. "Think again."

Tallon yanks out twin blades and wields them dangerously close to the Crusader. With one swift move of her hands, Mystic levitates the sword right out of the Crusader's hands, launching it clear to the other side of the arena. The Crusader stares at his empty hand in horror.

"I never thought of that…" he murmurs.

In the blink of an eye, there are suddenly ten Duplicator's. They crowd around the horse, blocking the Furious Crusader's exit.

But it's one thing to stop someone, and entirely another to defeat them.

The Crusader simply hopped down from his horse, shoved a few of the replications aside, and waltzed away. Tallon tossed her blades at the Crusader with frightening precision, only to watch them merely glance off the impenetrable armor.

"He's invincible," Zero murmurs in amazement.

Tracey steps forward, places a small hand on the Crusader's armor, and watches with little satisfaction as the Crusader writhes and shrieks in pain. He cries and begs and threatens, but nothing works. Her hand remains steady on his shoulder. She seems to glean no real joy from the act, however.

After all, what good is it, really, to have the ability to cause others excruciating pain?

Paramore murmurs the word 'ropes' in a slithering, almost sickly tone. The text exits his mouth in dark, warped letters, coming together to form a long, tough rope. Which he licks.

"That's a weird fetish," Zero whispers to me.

Once the licking ritual is finished, Paramore ties the defenseless man to his horse, and slaps the equine's rear. The Clydesdale goes galloping off without so much as a whinny.

"Where are the others?" Tallon asks me.

I shrug silently. Why should I know?

"What's Zero doing?" she asks warily, as if she may not want to know the answer.

Glancing to my left, I see Zero lying on her back in the grass, one of Duplicator's replications next to her. They giggle and talk conspiratorially.

"They're playing I Spy," I admit with a sigh.

Duplicator snaps her fingers, and all of her replications immediately disappear.

"Hey!" Zero shouts. "I liked that one!"

"Focus!" I snap, lifting Zero to her feet. "You're making us look bad!"

She grumbles and brushes herself off indignantly.

"Maybe we should go back to the Tower?" Mystic suggests. "Wait for the others there?"

A murmur of agreement passes through the team, and they set off toward the Tower, Zero right behind them.

Finally. They can keep her.

"Hey, where are you going?" Zero asks, suddenly right beside me.

I groan.

"You almost lost me there, P-Money!" she continues. "You really ought to warn me before you leave like that, or else you might have to fight crime all by yourself."

_Please._

"And what exactly did you bring to that fight?"

Zero smirks contentedly.

"Nothing you would know about."

"What?"

She shrugs.

"It's not important."

"Then just _tell_ me," I snap. I don't enjoy secrets.

Zero glances around as if to make sure no one else will hear her big secret.

"On the back of his armor…I spray painted…'No longer contagious.'"

She stares at me, a wide smile on her face, as if she's just done the worst deed in the world and gotten away with it.

"You did not," I say in disbelief.

"Did so!"

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious."

I can't help it. I chuckle. The sheer stupidity of it all amazes me.

"Impressive, right? Good luck selling _that_ suit of armor."

I shake my head and laugh, wondering what it was, exactly, that made this stupid girl follow _me_, of all people in that Tower.

**Okay, so that wasn't too scary, or difficult. But Alias was right…it was a total trap, by that cleverest of fiends, silly Simkin…**

**The next chapter I'm hoping will be totally intense, and there's going to be a wicked bad betrayal among the teens of the Tower…**

**On a side note, I'm having a little trouble keeping every character's personalities straight. If you could describe your character in ONE WORD, that would make things hecka easier. **

**And one more thing – I didn't really get that many villains, so if anyone wanted to submit one, that would be awesome.**

**Thanks! =D **


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